Chapter 126
Nahun had secured the cooperation of Barbatos. This ultimately meant the cooperation of the entire Equites faction.
Apart from Barbatos, Lerajie, and Jepar, who they had persuaded, the 18th-ranked Salenos, the 22nd-ranked Aini, and the 27th-ranked Veris would also lend their support to the agenda.
Having perfectly achieved his goal, Nahun was now taking a comfortable day of rest before returning to the Debata Castle.
“Did I solve one thing…?”
Now, he just needed to present the agenda at the Demon World Assembly and gain the agreement of the Demon Kings. To do that, there was something he needed to consider first.
It was, of course, the adversarial faction with the worst relationship with the Equites faction, the “Plebis Faction.” Led by the 9th-ranked Demon King Phynox von Bog, Nahun didn’t particularly view her as an enemy.
However, Barbatos, who had decided to lend his support to Nahun this time, had a very antagonistic relationship with Phynox; they were practically sworn enemies.
‘Having already involved Barbatos, it would be impossible to win Phynox over.’
If there was someone capable of making that possible, they would undoubtedly be called a god. That’s how poor the relationship between the two Demon Kings was.
So Nahun had to think about how to deal with Phynox. The Equites faction was sure to face obstructive tactics regarding the agenda they supported.
“Given Phynox’s tendencies…”
As a top-tier Demon King, Phynox was one who made appearances in the game. Unlike Barbatos, who leaned towards strategy, she was not lacking in physical power either. She was one of the few balanced Demon Kings who harmoniously possessed both strength and cunning.
That was why it was troublesome. If she had been exceptional in only one aspect, it would have been easier to deal with her, but a Demon King who excelled in both areas didn’t present a clear strategy.
However, that was only relevant for those who didn’t know her well. Phynox was a prominent character in Ebel Queen Maker and was one of the figures strongly opposing the player faction.
So…
“…A few ideas come to mind.”
As a veteran of Ebel Queen Maker, Nahun had several countermeasures in mind. Organizing the methods he thought of, he imagined which would be the most effective.
‘The simplest might just be that.’
Nahun decided to use Phynox’s anger to his advantage. The source of her anger was something no one else knew. Only Phynox herself and Nahun, who understood it through the game, were aware of this fact.
If he brought this up, Phynox would surely be greatly shaken by the realization that someone knew her secret.
The fact that another person knew about her hidden frustrations, a secret she never wanted to reveal to anyone…
“Anyone would be shocked.”
Nahun rose from his seat. Grasping and shaking someone else’s weakness. It was the most unscrupulous and vile method, yet at the same time, it was the easiest and most efficient way to achieve results.
Villains appearing in various works throughout history would take hostages and threaten them, seize weaknesses and threaten… it wasn’t for no reason.
Because it was the simplest and most certain method. It was the same whether the opponent was human or a Demon King. As long as there were hearts and emotions, this approach was the most efficient across all ages and cultures.
Nahun’s eyes gleamed ominously.
“Is it time for me to take on the role of a villain?”
Suddenly!
“Teacher!”
“Huh!?”
Nahun was startled. Just as he was muttering to himself while contemplating his scheme, a guest suddenly appeared. There was only one person who could enter his room so casually.
“What were you doing?”
His only disciple, Seere.
“I was thinking a bit.”
“What kind of thinking?”
“Plans for after presenting the agenda.”
“Huh?”
Once an agenda was presented at the Demon World Assembly, decisions were typically made that very day, or at the latest, by the following day.
Since decisions regarding the respective agenda were made before the assembly ended, it was impossible to wield any schemes. Thus, Seere had no choice but to question Nahun’s words.
“What kind of plan?”
“We’ve brought the Equites faction into the fold. Naturally, the opposing faction isn’t going to sit idly by.”
“The opposing faction…?”
“The Plebis faction. Led by the 9th-ranked Demon King, Phynox von Bog.”
“Then shouldn’t we take action now? We shouldn’t be going back to Debata Castle….”
“For that, we also need to prepare for the Celestial Demon War.”
“Oh.”
Seere nodded as if she understood.
“Then what are you planning to do?”
“I do have a countermeasure. As for the specific plan… I can’t reveal it right now.”
“Huh?”
“This needs to be kept secret from as few people as possible for effectiveness. Please understand.”
Seere tilted her head. Then, after pondering something by herself, she asked Nahun.
“…Is it a secret regarding Phynox?”
Nahun was slightly surprised. Just from a little contemplation, she had reached that conclusion. She truly was an astute child.
“Yes. Do you understand why I can’t share the details?”
“Yes. But what I’m curious about is….”
Seere looked at Nahun with wide eyes.
“How do you know about Phynox’s secret?”
“…Huh?”
“Isn’t it a bit suspicious, regarding the secret of a ‘mature female Demon King’?”
“Th-that’s not it!!”
Nahun hurriedly corrected himself before Seere could misinterpret any further. What was this child talking about? Clearing his throat, Nahun said.
“It’s not a secret worth being suspicious about. It’s about something that is practically a concealed personal embarrassment for Phynox.”
“How do you know about such a thing?”
“…There are ways.”
“…Hmm.”
Seere tilted her head and said.
“The Great Demon really knows a lot.”
“Well, then….”
“Do the other Great Demons also know such things?”
“Yes.”
This was true. Other Great Demons likely knew far more than Nahun, who relied on the information revealed in the game.
‘…Of course, they might not know secrets like those of the Demon Kings.’
Realizing that Nahun spoke truthfully, Seere said with interest.
“Are the other Great Demons as gentle as you, Teacher?”
“Huh? Am I gentle?”
“If you’re not, then who is?”
“You could say your maid, Cecili, is gentle.”
“That’s true, but… you are too.”
Nahun reflected on his own actions. Threatening Citri, threatening humans, beating Andromalius to death, slaughtering the vampire race, defeating the Massu of the End…
In recent times, he had even struck Barbatos.
‘On what grounds…?’
Nahun thought he couldn’t possibly appear gentle when reflecting on his deeds, but it seemed Seere had a different perspective. Thinking to himself that if Seere thought so, then it was valid, he nodded.
“…Right. However, not all other Great Demons have the same personality as me.”
“Well, that’s true, right? If that were the case, the name ‘Hell’ would lose its meaning.”
“So, Seere, why did you come here?”
“I just came.”
“Huh?”
Seere smiled brightly.
“Hey, Teacher. Would you like to play a game with me?”
#
“A game?”
“It’s a game that Cecili taught me; I thought it would be fun.”
Hearing that it was a game taught by Cecili, a kitsune, Nahun also became interested. The kitsune tribe created and enjoyed various games among themselves since childhood.
Since there was plenty of time anyway, it wouldn’t be bad to build some camaraderie with Seere after a long time. Nahun nodded, and Seere, looking satisfied, smiled brightly.
“Then I’ll explain it to you.”
“Sure.”
Seere held her palm up.
“We take turns asking questions, and if it applies to the fact, you fold your fingers. The person who folds all their fingers loses. But, you have to answer truthfully; no lying.”
Nahun’s eyes went wide. Not because it was an interesting game, but because it was a game he was too familiar with.
‘…Isn’t this the image game?’
It was a famous drinking game widely known in Korea. He never thought there would be something like that in the Demon World, but considering this was a game world, it wouldn’t be surprising for the game developers to know about drinking games.
However, the stipulation of having to answer truthfully gave it a feeling similar to a truth game.
“How do you know if the other person is telling the truth or lying?”
“You just leave it to your conscience.”
“Can that really work ambiguously?”
“Would you lie to me?”
Nahun flinched and trembled slightly at her words. Seere smiled internally seeing Nahun’s reaction. In fact, there was a piece of equipment needed for this game—a truth detector made by the kitsune tribe.
However, Seere had a simple reason for not bringing it along: it was more fun and certain to provoke Nahun’s conscience.
Nahun made a diligent effort to faithfully fulfill his role as Seere’s teacher. In that regard, he could not lie to Seere.
Unless she brought it up like this, he might not have realized it, but given the direct mention of it, Nahun could not lie to Seere.
“A bad teacher wouldn’t lie to their precious and unique disciple, right?”
“…Of course not.”
“Yes, I believe you. So the equipment isn’t necessary, right? You know I wouldn’t lie to you either.”
“Of course….”
Seere also wouldn’t lie to Nahun. Therefore, they decided to start the game without equipment, leaving it to each other’s conscience.
“Can I go first?”
“Go ahead.”
“Are you a Great Demon?”
“…What do you mean? Are you asking about something I should know?”
“It’s the first time, so a simple question~.”
Nahun folded his thumb. And Seere looked at him as if inviting him to ask as many questions as he wanted.
Nahun stared at Seere for a moment before asking meaningfully.
“…Have you gained weight?”
“!!”
“Fold it.”
Seere puffed her cheeks slightly and reluctantly folded her thumb. Recently, her cheeks had become a bit chubby, and just as he suspected… it turned out to be true.
Of course, it wasn’t so obvious. It was just that Nahun had been paying extra attention to Seere, so he noticed, but if it were anyone else, they probably wouldn’t have realized.
“…My turn now?”
“Yes.”
“Fold your finger if you have had a romantic partner.”
“…….”
Nahun hesitated. Should he dress up his short college fling with the grand term ‘romantic partner’?
But he did have a romantic partner for that short period. They hadn’t shared love to the extent where it could be called a profound relationship, but nonetheless…
Considering it from an external view, it was indeed true. So, Nahun spoke honestly.
“Yes, for a short while.”
“…Huh!?”
“Why do you ask?”
“You said you didn’t really understand love, right? You said you had no romantic experience back then…!”
“So I said it was only for a short while. We never reached the depth to call it an experience, nor was it a relationship deep enough to discuss love. It was embarrassing to call it a romantic relationship. But from an external perspective, it was indeed a romantic relationship, so I spoke honestly.”
“Oh.”
Seere nodded as if she realized. So what the teacher meant was, rather than a genuine romance, it was more like a relationship between love and friendship. It seemed to say she had ventured into the realm beyond mere friends but stopped short of being lovers.
Of course, it was somewhat different from that, but Seere, who didn’t understand modern perspectives on relationships, took it as such.
“Ah, I see! Then fold your finger!”
“Sure.”
“…Hmm, Teacher. Now that I think about it, we haven’t set the rewards for the game.”
“Oh, that’s true.”
It was customary for games to have rewards defined. Nahun acknowledged this necessity and asked Seere.
“What shall we do?”
“Can I decide?”
“Go ahead.”
But Nahun soon realized he had made a mistake. He shouldn’t have left the reward up to Seere.
“Let’s say the winner assigns a ‘penalty’ to the loser, and that person has to carry it out?”
